Right Here Waiting
by Scarlett Wren
Summary: (AU)Draco and Ginny meet and behin dating, and as his graduation draws near, he wants to take the Dark Mark, but doesn't know how to tell her. Meanwhile, Ginny is afraid of losing him. Years later, when she thinks she's forgotten, the past comes back.
1. Snow

Snow fell like powdered sugar and blanketed the cold earth. Footprints left little dents in it, and the molds were filled once more with snow. Wizards and witches of all ages could be seen dotting the hilltops and streets of hogsmeade, wearing dark brown, grey, and black cloaks and coats, brightly colored scarves, and striped mittens. Some were making snow angels, others were bewitching the snow to flash neon green. Off on a little side street, on the highest hill in Hogsmeade, stood Ginny Weasley, looking all around her, taking it all in. She wore a grey cloak with large gold buttons, a red scarf, and a small smile. Her dark red hair was loose and hanging around her shoulders, and she carried a leather- bound black book.  
  
A snow ball whizzed past her, and she turned to see Draco Malfoy dodging a return snow ball from his best friend, Vincent Crabbe. Goyle, however, was no where to be seen. Draco jumped behind a holly bush, laughing as he rolled on the ground. Ginny rolled her eyes, still smiling. Boys, she thought, shaking her head. She trudged through the snow over to Malfoy and stopped a few feet away from him.  
  
"You nearly hit me, you know," she said her book cradled in one arm and a hand on her hip. Malfoy looked at her, standing up and brushing off the seat of his pants.  
  
"Sorry," he said, squinting to see in the thickening snow. He couldn't quite make out who had spoken, but assumed it was another Slytherin because of her grey cloak, though he couldn't remember seeing a red- headed girl that beautiful in Slytherin. The way her red hair seemed to make a crown around her face, she looked to him like an angel. She moved in a bit closer, closing the gap between them. Now Draco could see her face: heartshaped and slightly flushed from the cold, two amber- colored eyes, and perfectly shaped lips.  
  
"What's your name?" he finally asked, swallowing hard. As tough and crude as he was, pretty girls had always been his weakness.  
  
Ginny shifted her book to her other arm and smiled at him before replying.  
  
"You don't know?" He shook his head. "I'd have thought you'd have seen me with-- well, no matter. I'm Ginny."  
  
Draco nodded, sticking out his hand to her. "I'm Draco Malfoy."  
  
"I know. My brother and his friends can't stand you." She let go of his hand; he realized that her touch was soft even though her hands were cold.  
  
"Who's your brother?"  
  
"Ron Weasley," she said simply. Draco wanted to slap himself. A Weasley. He'd seen her before, but she'd never looked this... heavenly. He looked her over again, now seeing her for what she really was. He tried to find any imperfections, but could not.  
  
"Well, I can't much stand him, either," he said, smirking at her. He couldn't help thinking how mad it would make Ron if he saw Draco with his sister.  
  
"Sometimes he can be such a pain," Ginny agreed, sighing a little. She shifted her book again.  
  
"What are you reading?" Draco asked, reaching out to take the heavy book.  
  
"It's Edgar Allen Poe, a muggle, and an American," she supplied, giving him the volume. He opened it and leafed through it, his eyes scanning the pages hungrily.  
  
"He's one of my favorites, but my father won't let me read any of his poetry, probably because Poe's a muggle."  
  
Ginny turned from him when she heard Ron calling her from the valley below. She reached out to take her book back, pulling her hood up.  
  
"I've got to go," she said heavily, rolling her eyes in Ron's direction. Draco gave her the thick book after a moment.  
  
"Will you meet me at Honeyduke's next Hogsmeade weekend?" He stared at her, his grey eyes flashing.  
  
"Yes." She turned to leave. "Oh, and Malfoy," she said, "you're not as horrible as everyone says," she added, almost in a whisper. She gave him one last look and ran down the hill. 


	2. Masks

Right Here Waiting-- Chapter Two  
  
Hermione was sitting on an old, worn out easy chair in the Gryffindor common room, Ginny at her feet. She was braiding Ginny's hair, getting her ready to meet Malfoy at Honeyduke's. Ron was sprawled out on a couch, moaning to himself.  
  
"Our little Ginny, gone at the clutches of Malfoy. Why, why, why?"  
  
Hermione snapped a rubberband at him, hitting the side of his face. "Oh, shut up, Ron. She's a big girl, Malfoy won't hurt her."  
  
"I'm going to miss you, Gin. You were always my favorite."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes dramatically and finished the end of Ginny's braid. Ginny looked at herself in a mirror, smiling.  
  
"Thanks, Hermione."  
  
Hermione beamed at her, admiring her work. She got up and retreived a little package from a side table.  
  
"Here," she said, handing it to Ginny. "It's an early Christmas present."  
  
Ginny unwrapped the package and pulled out a long, fitted dark green cloak. She put it on, her face all smiles, and gave Hermione a little hug.  
  
"Now, you'd better go. I've heard Malfoy doesn't like to be kept waiting."  
  
Ginny cast another look at Ron, grabbed her copy of Edgar Allen Poe's works, and crawled through the portrait hole, bumping into Harry on her way.  
  
"Ron's not doing very well," she warned. Harry winked at her and closed the door behind her. She walked slowly down the corridor, her heart pounding nervously; she could feel it every time she breathed. She rounded a corner, her head down, and ran in to the only person guaranteed to ruin her day- Peeves. He was bouncing from wall to wall, randomly plucking students up by their collars and lobbing them into the air. Ginny turned around, thinking she could go another way, but Peeves was faster.  
  
"Awww, ickle little red head, where are you going with such a heavy book?" he asked, coming up behind her and pulling the book from her hands. "Let's lighten the load a bit, shall we?" He ripped a hundred or so pages from the book and threw them up into the air; the came fluttering down, landing in all directions. Peeves floated away, laughing. Ginny bent down, sighing heavily, trying to collect the pages. She looked up when a pair of shiny black boots stopped in front of her. It was Draco, his longer blond hair hanging around his face, dressed in a dark grey cloak and a wooly green scarf.  
  
"I was going to give it to you; I thought you could read it before you go home," she said, talking about the book. Draco knelt down and took a piece of paper from her hands.  
  
"Just forget about; you'll never be able to get them all."  
  
Ginny sighed and stood up. "You're right."  
  
They stood in nervous silence for a moment, Draco twitching his fingers and Ginny playing with the hood of her cloak.  
  
"So, where're you off to?" he asked, a gleem in his eyes. Ginny smiled at him mischeiviously.  
  
"Oh, I was supposed to go to Honeyduke's and meet someone, but I don't think he'll show up," she joked. Draco let out a mock gasp.  
  
"Well, I suppose I'll go with you, then." They both laughed as they walked along the corridor to the front doors. Draco looked her over as they talked; her twin french braids hung on either side of her face, and her eyes sparkled with a child- like intensity. Her emerald green cloak made her skin glow, like a strand of pearls. And he loved her smile; it lit up all the darkness around her, and he wanted her to smile all the time.  
  
"Your cloak is green," he commented, when they were almost there, "and yesterday it was grey. A Slytherin at heart, aren't you?" He opened the door to Honeyduke's for her, and found himself loving the way he was just inches taller than her, so she had to duck to walk under his arm.  
  
"Green is my favorite color, and grey... grey reminds me of the rain," she replied, her voice far off. They sat down at a two- person table, and Draco ordered their drinks.  
  
"I don't much like rain. It's just so dreary and cold," he said.  
  
"Oh, I love the rain. I can look into a storm and forget about my problems. It's like an escape." She looked past him, out a window, at the falling snow. She saw her brothers Fred and George chasing Ron around, trying to get him to eat a piece of candy she was sure had some kind of spell or charm on it. She laughed, looking back at Draco.  
  
"What's funny?" he asked.  
  
"My brothers are out there. I remember when they used to chase me around like that."  
  
Draco turned around and also looked at them. Again, he couldn't help but think how mad Ron would be if he saw them together, talking and laughing like they were now. Their drinks were brought to them, and Draco swirled the dark red liquid around with his straw, thinking.  
  
"Tell me everything you want for yourself as fast as you can," Ginny said, staring at him with big eyes. He looked up at her, taken aback. No one really asked him things like that; people just assumed he was cold and uninviting, and not worth getting to know. And maybe he was. But he wished people would stop making assumptions about him, just once. And he had a feeling Ginny Weasley would do just that.  
  
"Faster than that!" Ginny said, urging him on. Draco closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a loud sigh.  
  
"I want a better life for my mother. I want a new book for you. I want my father to be a better man."  
  
Ginny smiled at him. "That's nice. But what do you want, just for you?"  
  
He took another deep breath, letting it out with another heavy sigh. "I want someone to understand me. I want someone to know me. I want to be loved."  
  
Ginny took a long sip of her drink, looking at him. He met her gaze, trying to read her, but he couldn't. He could see she was a mask of fake emotions; he knew there was no 'happy' for her, at least not yet. She didn't want anyone to know how she was really feeling, so she put a smothering blanket over her pain. Draco knew this because he did it himself. He looked into her eyes, happy eyes to anyone who didn't understand. But he understood; he was perhaps the only one who did.  
  
"Tell me what you want," he said, downing the last of his drink.  
  
"I want money for my family, and I want Harry to be Quidditch team captain. And I want- I want a friend," she said, her eyes still masked with false smiles and hope.  
  
"I'll be your friend, Ginny." He reached under the table and took her hand. Her breath hitched a little. "We're a lot alike, I think."  
  
He was losing his mind to her soft touch, and could hardly put words together; all he was focused on was her.  
  
They walked around in the snow, Draco's scarf tied losely around her neck and his hand tangled in hers. They were talking about different things, poetry and Quidditch. Every so often Draco would tune out out of the conversation and think about how badly he wanted to make her happy. He wanted her to smile for him, just for him, and he wanted her to belong to him and no one else. These sudden possesive desires frightened him a little, but he found he could think of nothing but her.  
  
"I'm going back to Hogwarts," Ginny was saying, stopping along the road and turning to walk back to the school. "Are you coming with me?"  
  
Draco shook his head. "No, I've got a bit of shopping to do. I'll see you later, then," he said, kissing her hand elegantly, making her blush. They exchanged goodbyes, and Draco watched her walk away, pulling her hood over her red hair. She almost floated above the snow, like an angel. 


	3. Butterflies

Right Here Waiting-- Ch. Three

A/N: I know, I know, I haven't updated this story in a VERY long time. My apologies. I wasn't getting very many reviews, so I thought maybe it wasn't very well received. Anyway, I have tons of this story written, so I you would like me to post the rest, please review! I love reviews. They are my food. :D And another thing... I know 'the ball' was a GoF thing, and this is AFTER GoF, but... well, I kinda needed a ball. So, there is one. This story IS AU, after all. Again, please review!

A huge Christmas tree stood in the Great Hall, glowing orbs of light and other bobbles and trinkets hanging from the branches. The Hall was abuzz with holiday chatter, and the Gryffindor table was no exception. Ginny sat next to Harry and Hermione, Ron across from them.

"Do you think Malfoy'll take you anywhere for Christmas?" Harry asked. Hermione leaned in, eager to hear Ginny's reply.

"I don't know. We've only been out once," she said, stirring her cereal around absently. "Whenever we see each other in the hallway, it's, I don't know, akward. I never know what to say to him." She craned her neck to the right, looking past Ron at the Slytherin table. Draco looked up at her and smirked in his trade-marked way, and she blushed, looking down quickly.

"Ginny, go ask him if he's staying for the holidays," Hermione urged.

"If he's staying, I am taking Ginny far away from here," Ron grumbled, still not quite awake.

"Oh, come off it, Ron. Anyway, we've got Quidditch practice," Harry said, standing up and pulling Ron out of his chair by the sleeve of his robes. Ron, still mumbling to himself, stuck his tongue out in Malfoy's direction and followed Harry.

"Honestly, he's so immature," Hermione huffed. "Go ask Malfoy if he's staying!" she added excitedly, giving Ginny a little push. Ginny got up and slowly forced her way to the Slytherin table, looking back at Hermione a few times nervously. She reached the table and stood behind Draco, wringing her hands. Crabbe, who was sitting across from him, leaned in and sneered,

"There's your little red-headed Gryffindor."

Ginny gasped and Draco turned around, smiling. Crabbe laughed, but Draco shot him a look.

"I was wondering if you were staying here for the holidays," she said in a very small voice, fidgeting her fingers. Draco glanced at Crabbe, who was sniggering into his pumpkin juice, and stood up, the ends of his green robes trailing on the bench.

"Do you want me to stay?" He loved the power he had over her, the way he made her nervous.

"Yes," she whispered, before she could stop herself. Draco smirked at her.

"So I assume you're staying, then?" She nodded. "Then we've got a date." His voice was low and husky. "For the entire holiday."

Ginny smiled at him weakly, nodding. She stood there for a moment, then walked back to her own table, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"What happened? What happened?" Hermione squeaked, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "What did he say?"

Ginny told Hermione what had happened, and her friend's eyes grew wider and wider until Ginny thought they would burst.

"Do you think he'll ask you to the ball?" Hermione squealed.

"Why, Granger, how nice of you to read my mind," came the soft, drawling voice of Draco Malfoy. Both girls whirled around, Ginny redder than Ron could ever be. Hermione's face melted into a huge grin, and Ginny thought the girl would float away with happiness. She made an odd noise, somewhere between a squeal and a gasp, and walked away, leaving her books behind. Ginny turned back to Draco, who was laughing quietly.

"Is she always that bloody happy?" he asked, his voice lazy as he traced the table top idly with his fingers. He was making her squirm, he knew, and he couldn't help but draw it out a little longer.

"Yes. You should see her around Ron and Harry. She can't make up her mind which one she really likes." It took everything she had to keep her voice from shaking.

"Do you know who you like?" he asked, his tone still lazy, but with a bit of an edge. Ginny almost groaned in disdain at the question.

"Draco, I..." She was at a complete loss for words. She looked at the floor, wishing she could be swallowed up by it.

"I know who I like," he whispered, moving her hair back behind her ears. She let in a sharp breath, feeling like her knees would give in.

"Go to the ball with me, Ginny," he breathed, bent down so his mouth was right against her ear.

"Ok," was all she could get out. He straightened up, smiling at her in that way of his. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, never taking his eyes off hers. She could have sworn she was dead and in Heaven; her heart felt as if it had stopped beating. He winked at her and turned away, walking back to the Slytherin table. Crabbe and Goyle, who seemed to have seen everything, patted him on the back.

Ginny watched him for a moment: his tall, lean body; the way his robes swished like a forbidden kiss when he walked; the way she imagined his lips would taste, bitter but sweet; his light grey eyes that changed with his emotions; the way his lips curved into a taunting, almost malicious smirk. She had to force her legs to move, remembering to pick up Hermione's books on the way out. She walked through the hallway, occasionally looking out the windows, watching students load trunks onto the train, which would leave the next morning, after the ball. All the nervousness was slowly leaving her body, making her shake with relief.

She was still at one of the windows when Harry and Ron trudged in the doors, snow on their boots and robes. Ron looked both mad and flustered, and Harry just looked exhausted.

"I don't care," Ron was saying, "She _cannot_ have anything to do with that slimy git." Harry shook his head, and, seeing her, dragged Ron over to the window.

"Ron, I won't be able to help you with your Potions homework tonight," Ginny said, her eyes sparkling.

"Why not?" Ron groaned. He looked at Harry, a disgusted look on his face. Harry just smiled.

"Because I'm going to the ball." She added, "With Draco Malfoy before he could ask.

Ron turmed a very putrid shade of green. "Bloody hell, I think I'm going to be sick!" he exclaimed, running down the hallway. Harry shook his head, looked at her apologetically, and ran after him. Ginny laughed despite herself and continued her walk to Gryffindor Tower.

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In the next chapter: the ball, a night with Draco, Harry and Hermione are off to France! Will Ron join them? Suspense, suspense:)


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